Category Archives: Josh Klinghoffer

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So sorry, I forgot to post here! I was in Paris with my daughter while they were happening (I took her to a concert by her “bias” so it was crazy! Teenage K-pop fandom. All I need to say!), and I can’t access this site’s interface using my phone (I updated the Facebook page as that’s easy to do).

Quick update: Anthony, Flea and Chad all have houses in the Malibu area affected by the fire. Chad and Josh were in Seattle performing at a benefit concert and Anthony safely evacuated with his son. Flea has posted on his social media accounts saying he and his family were safe and later that his house wasn’t destroyed. I’ve seen an online map and Anthony’s house wasn’t damaged and the house I think is Chad’s is fine too. Houses nearby were sadly destroyed. Obviously, things aren’t settled in the area and I read today that a layer of soot is covering the affected areas so a massive clean up is needed as well as the damaged infrastructure needing to be repaired.

I know people are asking about John. I didn’t think I had any contacts totally forgetting I know someone who is in contact with a family member of his. They enquired on behalf of the fan base. It was confirmed that, as I thought, John doesn’t live in the affected area and is fine as far as anyone knows.

Clearly we’re all grateful that band members and their homes are safe but obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was affected by the fires and especially those who lost their homes. It’s so sad.

Trick or treat?! RHCP performed in Halloween costumes at a LA school today. Chad, Josh and Flea walked onto the stage from the side. Anthony followed them in a few seconds later but walked around the stage in front of the audience, instead of entering the stage from the side as the others had. They played a short intro song with Anthony and Josh crouching on the floor before going into ‘Can’t Stop.’ The band members then wished everyone a Happy Halloween and left the stage. Chris Warren was with there too (on the side of the stage).

Last night, Will Ferrell’s ‘Best Night In Your Life’ benefit for the ‘Cancer For College’ charity took place at The Greek Theater in LA. It was mostly a night of comedy but there was also a star-studded band providing a musical spot and it featured RHCP’s very own Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer. The set list comprised of two halves with Chris Martin leading the first half and Brad Paisley the second. Josh Klinghoffer also covered a song himself, a cover of Purple Rain.

Last night, 29th September, the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed as part of the 2018 Silverlake Conservatory of Music Fundraiser honouring Mo Ostin.

RHCP performed a brief set:

Photo used with permisssion. Many thanks to May Mendosa

Ramblin Man (The Allman Brothers cover)
Dark Necessities
I Like Dirt
Goodbye Angels
Under The Bridge
By The Way
Purple Haze (Hendrix cover)

NOTE: Sorry, I am got going to download and copy (without credit) personal stories from Instagram as some other fan pages do as I assume personal stories are well, personal and I’m currently waiting to see if I get permission to use a friend’s photos who was at the event but I will link to public posts as being public implies it’s OK (will always link to the original and then the poster has the option of changing settings if they wish).

Here are a few things from Instagram (there are a lot more in personal stories if you search for relevant tags). Will update when appropriate.

This is from the IWY tour but has just been released (we’re pretty sure we’ve not heard it before).

Transcript:

AK Interview with Chuck and Randy:

This week Chuck and I are sitting here with Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Anthony, thanks so much for being here today. It’s been about five years since Stadium Arcadium, and how important was it for you guys to take a much needed break?

AK: Wow. It well just was. I mean it was important but it just happened. Five years. You know it certainly wasn’t all break because we toured , I guess, for a year and a half with Stadium. And there was really a legitimate two year break and then for the last eighteen months we’ve been writing, rehearsing, recording and mixing. So the two year break was great; it allowed everything to shift and start over again.

Well, it sounds like you’ve accomplished one hell of a lot in your time off.

AK:; It was great. I needed it, we wanted it. I think we earned it. I think it was great for everyone and it really allowed us to create something new. And it allowed all of the pieces to kind of find where it needed to be. It kind of gave John a chance to make his move and us a chance to find Josh and just be human beings without obligations and responsibilities when it came to the band which made it all that much more fun when we got back into the band and it didn’t feel like it had at the end of the last tour where it was more satisfying a commitment that we had made to finish touring. We started up again because we wanted to.

Anthony you became a dad. Congratulations. I understand that his name is Everly Bear. Did you name him after the Everly Brothers?

AK: Not literally, specifically or technically. But I did look at an Everly Brothers CD sitting on my coffee table and I loved the look of that word, and I loved the Everly Brothers a ton. I don’t know that vocal harmony gets that much better than they had it going on. And I love there songs. So yeah, I felt very comfortable giving my son that name even though he’s not named after them.

Yeah. I understand that you created a new TV series called ‘Spider and Son’. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

AK: It’s kinda been filed away for the time being. We worked on it for a couple of years and it didn’t pan out with HBO so now we’re kinda rethinking the whole deal. Really this is much more important to me, what I’m doing musically so it sits. It’s collecting dust.

The show- was it based on a relationship between you and your father?

AK:> That’s right. It was based on my father son experience in the early 70s in Hollywood which was a magical time culturally in LA. And my dad just had a bunch of freakish friends and the Sunset Strip was kind of just coming to life and people’s experience with art and drugs and sex and energy was all pretty lively at that time, so we thought we had a good show, but HBO wasn’t so sure. So we’ll rethink it.

So becoming a father. Has it inspired you lyrically for the album?

AK: Umm. You know there was one inspiration after the next really. Being a broken down man at the end of the tour was its own kind of inspiration, like I didn’t know I could be that busted up and psychically kind of bent and just coming home to the beach and letting it all go was inspirational. Meeting my son, and spending time with him and having him sort of change my point of view about life was inspirational. John leaving was incredibly inspirational. Josh joining was wildly inspirational. You know, connecting with the ocean was inspirational. There was no shortage. Really, you know, the chemistry that we got to kind of reinvent with the band was a great ride.

I’ve gone through the album several times and I’ve listened to three of the different songs, ‘Factory of Faith’ seems like were torn looking for marriage or something, and then you have another song, ‘Even You Brutus’ and that seems like you are looking for great sex and then there’s ‘Meet Me In The Corner’ and it seems like there’s a lot of heartache involved with that song. Where are you at emotionally?

AK: Good point. I’m in all of those places. That’s the first time I’ve heard that particular comment on ‘Even You Brutus.’

Yes. In regard to John leaving the band, how did you feel about that? When did you know it was going to happen?

AK: Errr. You know, it depends on how intuitive you are. Those things can always go either way, but it felt great because it needed to happen and it’s hard to have the courage to make those things happen because it’s such a sensitive thing, but he did it in a very gentlemanly way when he did it. You know, he came and had a very calm and earnest conversation about him just wanting to do something else which was more than understandable all things considered. And it was a great relief because there was a certain amount of discord and tension that had built up from him not being where he wanted to be and kinda vice versa, so it was a very kind gesture and it just worked out remarkable well. I believe he’s happy doing what he’s doing. You know it did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves, and allowed us to have a new relationship and start from scratch. And it was time to start from scratch, and starting anywhere but from scratch would have been kinda a bummer; so we were forced to strip down and see who we were and go to work, which is a wonderful thing to have to do.

It seems to me that your new album, ‘I’m With You,’ it’s quite a departure from your previous three.

AK: I would hope so. I mean, I would feel a bit dissatisfied if it wasn’t. I think that’s kind of a part of the beauty of what happened is that we did get to mix colours with Josh, to do something new . Like you said, he’s got an element of <em>avant garde</em>, but he’s got an element of a lot of things, and I like those elements, and it’s kind of really fun to listen to Josh and see where he’s coming from and try to blend myself into that. You know, it makes for a new recipe.

So, this is the new grown up Chili Peppers?

AK: No, I wouldn’t call it the grown up. We’re always going to be growing and not necessarily up. Yeah, I mean we’ve got our sh*t a little more together than maybe we used to, but not so much so that it still doesn’t have a few rough edges. Work in progress.

I noticed you added a piano.

AK: That is very grown up. [Laughs]. Africa is also very grown up. You’ve got to be slightly grown to play African piano.

Would that be Flea playing the grand piano?

AK: He’s more of a upright, ragtime guy.

In the book, ‘Scar Tissue’, it says you’ve been sober since Christmas 2000. After more than ten years, do you find it difficult to stay away from it all?

AK: Yeah, well, temptation pops up and it fades so quickly. the other day I saw a video, the one I showed you yesterday, and these three beautiful, sexy, stylish girls are in a kitchen and they are all kind of sort of blowing smoke down each others throats, like getting ready to go out. And for a moment, I looked at it and I was like, that looks kind of sexy and fun but that doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried it about 18,000 times and it always ends up disastrously so I’ll just have to enjoy it vicariously and without the smoke being blown down the throat.

How come you never left LA? Well, you must really love this place! It seems like your lyrics basically are all about LA.

AK: Josh is the only band member born and raised in Los Angeles, and you know I guess he maybe he’s part of that garden, even though he’s the one most likely to leave Los Angeles some day. You know, I keep leaving but I haven’t really found anything that feels better. I feel very connected here. I love it.

I agree. Anthony, thanks a lot for being here with us and lots of luck with your new album. I know it’s going to do great. Thank you so much.

Josh Klinghoffer & Anthony Kiedis contributed on Saturday to Ellen’s 60th Birthday party with a stripped down performance (no details of which songs). I don’t think it’s aired on TV or even if it will do (but then I didn’t even know who the woman was in the photo… I don’t watch UK chat shows, let alone US ones, but that’s me apparently being really weird! :D)

EDIT: It was a private party so probably no footage. AK and Josh played ‘Snow’.

Anthony Kiedis and Josh Klinghoffer will take part in a special performance to raise funds for the first Whole Child International Gala on Thursday October 26th, 2017 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.